Louisiana Teen Readers’ Choice 2017
9-12th Grade
Annotated Title List
- 100 Sideways Miles by Andrew Smith, 288 pgs.
With the exception of his uncontrollable epileptic episodes, the scars on his back that serve asphysical reminders of a childhood tragedy, and the unwanted attention he receives as a result of being the inspiration for his father’s hugely popular science fiction novel, sixteen-year-old Finn Easton is content with his life. Still, when the girl of Finn’s dreams moves across the country, Finn and best friend Cade embark on a wild, hilarious, and unauthorized road trip under the guise of a college visit.
IL:UG- BL:5.8- AR Pts:10.0. [Guy interest, adventure, realistic fiction, book within a book, YALSA 2015 Best Fiction]
Hardcover.Simon & Schuster, 2014. 9781442444959. $17.99
Paperback.Simon & Schuster, 2015.9781442444966. $11.99
Audio and Ebook available.
Also available in German.
- Don’t Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski, 336 pgs.
If sophomore class 10B seems more closely-knit than any other group in the school, it might be because they secretly share telepathic powers. This unexpected side effect of receiving a contaminated batch of flu vaccinations allows each student to hear the thoughts of others. Knowing the secrets, insecurities, test responses, and everything else that passes through the minds of their classmates leads to both hilarious and uncomfortable situations.
IL:UG- BL:3.5- AR Pts:8.0 [Sophomore class alternating narrators, telepathic powers, flu shots, sci-fi]
Hardcover.Random House, 2014.9780385737388. $17.99
Paperback.Random House, 2015.9780385737395. $9.99
Audio and Ebook available.
Also available in French, German, Serbian.
- Fake ID by Lamar Giles, 336 pgs.
Nick Pearson, formerly known as Steven and originally called Tony Bordeaux, is a member of the witness protection program. Moving to Stepton as the Pearsons is his family’s last chance at protection after a series of identities are ruined by the chronic criminal involvement of Nick’s father.Even though the whole family is seemingly focused on staying out of the spotlight once and for all, Nick must decide whether or not to risk their safety byinvestigating a conspiracy and the death of a new friend.
IL: UG – BL: 4.6 – AR Pts: 10.0 [African American and Latino interest, witness protection program, mystery,crime thriller]
Hardcover.HarperCollins, 2014.9780062121844. $17.99
Paperback.HarperCollins, 2015.9780062121851. $9.99
Audio and Ebook available.
- How It Went Down by KeklaMagoon, 336 pgs.
African American teen Tariq Johnson has been shot and killed by Jack Franklin, a white man, after exiting a convenience store. This is the only fact known for certain by the media and investigating officials. Community members, friends, family, eyewitnesses, and police all give their accounts of how it went down, each providing pieces of conflicting stories in this complex novel.
IL:UG- BL:4.0- AR Pts:8.0. [African American interest, realistic fiction, 2015 Coretta Scott King honor book, YALSA 2015 Notable Book]
Hardcover. Henry Holt & Company, 2014. 9780805098693. $17.99
Paperback.Square Fish, 2015.9781250068231. $9.99
Audio and Ebook available.
- I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson, 384 pgs.
Fraternal twins and artists Jude and Noah narrate this story of loss, love, guilt, and family. Noah’s viewpoint reveals the twin’s lives at age thirteen while Jude’s portion is told from three years later. The two narratives slowly reveal the circumstances that shape the twins, driving them apart and ultimately bringing them to a greater understanding of themselves and one another.
IL:UG- BL:4.9- AR Pts:16.0. [LGBT, fraternal twins, art and art school, romance, coping with grief, alternating narration, for fans of Rainbow Rowell,four starred reviews, 2015 Printz award winner, 2015 Stonewall Book Award honor, YALSA Top Ten Notable Book]
Hardcover.Penguin, 2014.9780803734968. $17.99
Paperback.Penguin, 2015.9780142425763. $10.99
Audio and Ebook available.
Also available in Dutch, French, Norwegian, Portuguese, Serbian, Slovak,
Spanish.
- Nearly Gone by Elle Cosimano, 400 pgs.
Nearly Boswell has many reasons to keep a low profile;the last thing she wants is to become a target for bullying at school, or worse.Her mom works as an exotic dancer, butNearly’s strange talent, the ability to experience the emotions of other people when she touches them, has the potential to draw much greater unwanted attention.Though she risks revealing all of this by getting involved, when a series of murders begin to occur, Nearly might be the only one who can solve them.
IL:UG- BL:5.0- AR Pts:14.0. [Murder mystery, female main character, supernatural]
Hardcover.Penguin, 2014.9780803739260. $17.99
Paperback.Penguin, 2015.9780142424513. $9.99
Ebook available.
- Red Rising by Pierce Brown, 400 pgs.
Darrow, a member of the low class Red clan, had always followed the rules, working to prepare Mars for the excess population of Earth. Before his wife was killed by the government, he would never have considered rebellion against the upper classes. Now though, he has been recruited and is prepared to go undercover, working his way to the top of the Gold class in order to overthrow them, no matter what it takes.
IL:UG- BL:4.6- AR Pts:18.0. [Dystopia, class revolution, for fans of Hunger Games, takes place on Mars, sci-fi, for older teens, will become a movie]
Hardcover.Random House, 2014.9780345539786. $25.00
Paperback.Random House, 2014.9780345539809. $14.00
Audio and Ebook available.
Also available in Bulgarian, Modern Greek, Hungarian, Polish, Portuguese,
Serbian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish.
- To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han, 368 pgs.
Sixteen-year-old Lara Jean Song finds writing therapeutic. In fact, she has gotten over five crushes by writing an unsent loveletter in her diary to each boy. When the letters disappear and somehow reach their addressees, one of whom is a close friend of Lara Jean and the ex-boyfriend of her sister, Lara Jean will do anything to show that she no longer has feelings for the boys, including pretending to date one of them, paradoxical though it may seem.
IL:UG- BL:4.2- AR Pts:12.0 [Girl interest, romance, family, realistic fiction, Korean American interest]
Hardcover.Simon & Schuster, 2014.9781442426702. $17.99
Paperback.Simon & Schuster, 2016.9781442426719. $10.99
Audio and Ebook available.
Also available in Czech, French, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish.
- We Were Liars by E. Lockhart, 240 pgs.
Cady has always looked forward to summers on her family’s private island; it’s the only time she sees her cousins Johnny and Mirren and their friend Gat, and the four are an inseparable group, happy being teenagers and unconcerned with inheriting the family’s riches or upholding reputations. The summer they are all fifteen, Cady suffers an accident, leaving her with headaches and memory loss, confused at the strained relationships and secrets everyone seems to be keeping from her when she is able to return to the island at age seventeen.
IL:UG- BL:4.4- AR Pts:7.0.[Psychological mystery,summers at her wealthy family’s private island, memory loss, YALSA Top Ten Best Fiction Notable Book, 5 starred reviews]
Hardcover.Random House, 2014.9780385741262. $17.99
Audio and Ebook available.
Also available in Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, French, Hungarian,
Italian, Latvian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish
- When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds, photographs by Michael Frost, 240 pgs.
Ali and his friends, brothers Noodles and Needles, refuse to be defined by the stereotypes in their Brooklyn neighborhood. Ali keeps busy by learning to box, just as Noodles does reading comic books, and Needles gets his name not from any type of injection but from the knitting needles he carries to help control the symptoms of Tourette’s Syndrome. Despite their good intentions, what will happen when the three find themselves in a dangerous situation at an exclusive party?
IL:UG- BL:4.8- AR Pts:9.0. [African American interest, 2015 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent award, realistic fiction, urban setting, Tourette’s Syndrome, friend and family relationships, YALSA 2015 Notable Book]
Hardcover.Simon & Schuster, 2014.9781442459472. $17.99
Paperback.Simon & Schuster, 2015.9781442459489. $9.99
Audio and Ebook available.
1